no April Fool's joke

This idiot was seriously lucky that nobody was killed in this freak accident. I'll bet her neighbor doesn't want to talk to her now.

into the 21st century....someday

Working on projects at home early this morning, I lost track of time and ended up rushing to get to the Metra station on time. I waited....and waited...and the train arrived almost 30 minutes late, after several messages saying that the train was delayed "due to late arrival of equipment. Got the reason why later on. Wish I'd had notification like this, or, even better, this. I have not been a fan of Twitter so far, but delay notifications would be extremely useful, unlike much of the fluff there.

I appreciate the fact that Metra usually runs on schedule, but too many aspects of their service are antiquated and inefficient. After seeing conductors unable to collect a substantial number of fares on many runs in recent years, I'd imagine that any investment in faster, more modern fare collection technology would be recouped in a reasonable time span. Train Tracker would be a VERY welcome update to at least dip a toe into the pool of modern technology.

pedestrian accidents

This article in today's Trib about local pedestrian rates had one surprise for me. I would not have expected Oak Park to be so high on the list. Your $0.02?

have you been involved in a bicycle-related crash in Chicago?

If you've been involved in a bike-related crash (as a cyclist, pedestrian or driver) and you'd like to share information about the crash with Chicago Dept. of Transportation for the purpose of developing a bike safety video, please click here.

And here's the main page for CDOT's bike program if you want other bike info.

teenage heroes

Once in a while I see a story that restores my faith that there are still some ordinary people out there who will go out of their way and risk their lives to save a stranger. This is one of those stories. My hat is off to Tom Foust and his friends for saving an elderly driver from being killed by an oncoming train. You are true heroes.